Hermione Granger: Ace Attorney
by Supersilver46
Summary: Hermione Granger is a 24 year old rookie defense attorney who's sole goal is to get her clients a 'not guilty' verdict. She'll have to deal with questionable defendants, strange witnesses, and infuriating prosecutors in order to find the one thing that matters, the truth. This is the story about the rise of the 'Ace Attorney' Hermione Granger...


"T-this isn't real…" They said to themselves as they looked at what they held in their hands, and then to the ground. "This can't be happening…."

Lying on the floor, a young woman's eyes were closed as a blood began to pool around her head, staining the white carpet red.

"Wh-what am I going to do?" They said to themselves as they paced back and forth, they stopped as an idea suddenly sprung up in their mind. "Wait…that's right!"

They smirked, as they figured out a plan that would get them out of the nightmare they found themselves in.

"That guy…he's the perfect one to take the fall!" they said to themselves, a laugh began to bubble up in their chest, "I'll pin it all on him!"

"Heh….hahahaha!"

….

_Well…I'm here. _Hermione thought to herself as she walked into the Ministry building, two aurors who were standing guard outside nodded at her as she entered the building. She glanced down at her watch and sighed; she was about ten minutes too early. She hadn't been able to rest once her boss had told her about the new case they were taking. Partially due to who the defendant was, and partially because her boss told her that she would be the one to handle this case.

"_Don't worry!" _Her boss had said_, "You've been watching me work these past few months, I'm confident that you'll be able to handle this case!"_

While the praise she had gotten was nice, she still felt a bit nervous. She walked across the large lobby of the ministry building until she reached the stairs that would lead down to the dungeons, where the courtrooms would be.

"Why are you just standing there?" A shrill voice called out to Hermione, she turned around to see that a woman wearing a pink suit was tapping her foot impatiently, "Some of us have somewhere very important to be."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Hermione said as she moved out of the way.

The woman in the pink suit sneered at Hermione, or rather the badge that was on the collar of her violet suit.

"A defense attorney, hmph." The woman said. "I don't know why the minister decided to change our system from what worked before to one that's more…muggle."

"Um, I-"

"But I suppose Dumbledore wants to drag the ministry through the mud," The woman wrinkled her nose, "He's turning the courtroom into a circus!"

"I think Dumbledore is doing a great thing," Hermione said, "It makes the court fair if there are prosecutors and-"

"I've heard this argument before defense attorney," The woman interrupted Hermione, "But it won't ever change my mind,_ defense attorney_."

The woman then walked down the stairs, and Hermione sighed again. She knew that she'd have to deal with people like that woman, but she wasn't prepared for the absolute venom that was in the woman's tone. Hermione looked at her watch, it was almost noon, which meant that the trial would start ten minutes from now. Hermione walked down the stairs, following the woman from before to the courtroom…

…

"Oh, Hermione you're finally here!" Her boss, Remus Lupin, called out to her as she walked into the defense lobby. The lobby wasn't very impressive, there were a few potted plants that rested against the wall, a few tables with chairs were in the middle of the room, a bench, and a large brown door leading to the courtroom. "What took you so long?"

"Sorry boss, I got lost for a little bit." Hermione looked at their client who was currently siting on the bench, "Hi Ron, how are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Ron said, "I get my door kicked down, get arrested by Aurors for a crime I didn't commit, and I find out that my ex is dead, I'm doing _great_!"

_It was a simple question… _Hermione thought to herself.

"Then there's that box that went missing too…" Ron continued, "I'm guessing it got stolen right after my ex was killed."

"You're worried about a box?" Hermione asked.

"That box is_ important_, only people I trust know what's inside of it."

"So, what was in the box?" Her boss asked.

"…Something important."

"You're not going to tell us what was in that box?" Hermione asked, "We're your attorneys, you can trust us."

"…"

Hermione sighed as Ron refused to answer. She looked at her boss for help, but he was busy writing into a notepad he had pulled out from his pocket.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm making a note about the box," Her boss said, "You never know when it could come in handy."

Suddenly the door to the courtroom opened, and an Auror stepped into the room.

"The trial is about to begin," The Auror said, "Defendant, come with me."

Ron got up from the bench and followed the Auror into the courtroom.

"Well, it looks like it's time," Hermione's boss said, "Are you ready?"

'_No.'_

"Yes." Hermione said.

"Alright then, you're in charge for this case, but don't hesitate to ask me for help if you need it."

Hermione nodded, and the two of them walked into the courtroom.

_My name is Hermione Granger, I'm 21 years old and I've recently passed the Bar Exam. I'm working under my boss, Remus Lupin as his assistant, though today will be the first time I'll be in charge of a case. The defendant's an old classmate of mine, Ron Weasley. We weren't what you'd call friends in school, we were…acquaintances. He's under suspicion of murdering his ex-girlfriend, Lavender Brown, and it seems as if everyone's already sure he's the killer. _

_But I don't think that's the case, in all the years I've known him, Ron's never seemed like the type to kill someone in cold blood. I believe him when he says he didn't kill Lavender; and I'm going to do my absolute best to prove that he's innocent to the court. Hopefully, I won't end up getting laughed out of the court if I fail miserably…_

_._

_._

_._

The courtroom was vast and seemed to stretch out forever. The walls of the courtroom were dull and drab, parts of the walls were chipped and cracked, exposing the brickwork that was hidden behind the grey paint and plaster. On the left side of the courtroom was the defense table, on the opposite side of the room was the prosecution table, in the middle of the room was the Judge's bench, and the gallery was in the back of the courtroom. The torches that were scattered around the room were the only sources of light in the courtroom, illuminating the faces of the gallery who stared down at Hermione as she and Remus moved to the defense table. The fact that so many people were watching her caused her to nervously fidget where she was standing.

"Don't let them get to you."

Hermione turned to look at Remus, who seemed to be unfazed by the gallery.

"They're trying to see how weak you are," He continued, "To them, this trial is nothing more than entertainment, and part of that entertainment comes from making defense attorneys squirm."

"But someone's life is on the line!" Hermione shouted, "How could they find a trial like this entertaining?"

"Part of the reason is because of the media," Remus crossed his arms and looked at the gallery, "Radio shows and newspapers tend to exaggerate the things that happen during a trial, they do everything they can to make the stories they make interesting so they can make huge profits."

"How can they-"

"Freedom of speech, remember?" Remus said, "They can say anything they like."

"Yes, but..."_ 'they're manipulating people to think a certain way...' _

"Anyway, the second reason as to why they find this trial entertaining..." Remus frowned, "It's because of the prosecutor we're going up against today."

"The prosecutor?" Hermione asked, "Are they famous?"

"..." Remus face darkened briefly before he looked away from Hermione. "...In a way."

'_Was it just my imagination, or did Remus seem almost...sad?'_ Hermione thought to herself.

Suddenly, the bailiff entered the courtroom

"All rise. The Court is now in session. The honorable Judge Dumbledore is now presiding for the case of Ron Weasley." The bailiff said. The people seated in the gallery rose, and Hermione watched as Judge Dumbledore made his way to the bench. Once he had reached his bench, the gallery sat back down.

"Well then, it's nice to see you again Mr. Lupin." the Judge said, "And I see that you have brought your assistant with you."

"It's nice to see you as well, Your Honor." Remus said.

"Are you the one who will be defending Mr. Weasley?" the Judge asked.

"No, Your Honor, actually..." Remus turned to look at Hermione and smiled, "My assistant will be the one defending Mr. Weasley."

"Your assistant?" The Judge looked down at Hermione, "Are you sure? She's still young..."

"I'm sure, she's been up all night looking over the case files." Remus said, "She can handle this."

"You don't mind if I test her then?" The Judge asked.

"Not at all, go right ahead Your Honor." Remus said.

The Judge nodded and then turned to Hermione, "Ms. Granger I'm going to ask you three questions, please answer them correctly."

"Yes, Your Honor." Hermione said.

_Question Number One- What is the Victim's name?_

_Question Number Two- When did the victim die?_

_Question Number Three- What was the cause of death? _

"Hey Hermione," Hermione blinked and turned to look at Remus, "If you need a refresher, just look in the court record, all the evidence that we've gathered so far will be in there."

'_Okay then, I think I already know the answers, but it doesn't hurt to check the court record every once in a while...'_ Hermione thought to herself.

"The victim's name was Lavender Brown, she died last night at 9:00 PM, the cause of death was trauma due to being struck by a blunt object." Hermione said as she looked at the autopsy report.

The Judge nodded, "Well it seems that you know at least the basics of the case."

Hermione sighed in relief, she'd blanked on everything she had read about the case last night, but thankfully everything she needed to know was in the court record.

"So, it looks like you aren't completely incompetent," Hermione blinked in surprise as the woman she had seen earlier walked up to the prosecutors table, "That's good, I didn't want to waste my time dealing with an idiotic defense attorney."

"Aren't you the woman I met earlier today?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, well it looks like we meet again." The woman said, "My name is Dolores Umbridge, though in the courtroom I'm known as..."

Umbridge smirked, "The Rookie Slayer."

"'The Rookie Slayer'?" Hermione turned to look at Remus, "Is this the prosecutor everyone's been wanting to see?"

"No," Remus frowned, "The prosecutor we were supposed to go up against today was Harry Potter."

"Harry Potter?" Hermione remembered that she had gone to school with someone named 'Harry Potter', she'd never talked to him at all during their seven years at Hogwarts. "Is he a famous prosecutor?"

Remus nodded.

"Ever since he became a prosecutor, he's managed to win all of the cases he was assigned." Remus frowned, "Within minutes, he can get a guilty verdict for the defendant, because of that he's built up quite a reputation."

"Oh...then I guess it's a good thing we aren't going against him today." Hermione said.

"...I suppose so."

'?' Hermione was a bit confused, for some reason Remus seemed to be...upset.

"Ms. Umbridge, I was under the impression that Mr. Potter would be serving as the prosecutor for this case." The Judge said, "Why are you here instead?"

"Mr. Potter has another case he's working on." Umbridge said, "The Chief Prosecutor felt as though it was more important than this trial, so he assigned this case to me."

"I see." The Judge said, "That makes perfect sense."

"I'm not sure that I should even waste my time here, this case is extremely simple." Umbridge smirked, "Last night, at the Dead-End Hotel, the victim was murdered in her bedroom."

"The defendant, Ron Weasley, had visited the victim in order to obtain something from her." Umbridge continued, "Residents of the hotel claimed to hear the two arguing fiercely, and then the defendant stormed out of the hotel."

"Moments later, a witness contacted the police after they found the corpse of Lavender Brown." Umbridge smirked, "The defendant had left his wand at the scene, which the police confiscated."

"I would like to submit the defendant's wand to the court record."

The Judge nodded, "The Court accepts this piece of evidence."

_Ron's wand added to the Court Record_

"It's obvious that the defendant, Ron Weasley, is the one who killed Lavender Brown!" Umbridge pointed her finger at Ron, "With the evidence that has been gathered, his guilt is clear!"

"Objection!" Hermione shouted, "You haven't provided a motive yet! His guilt is far from-"

"Objection!" Umbridge shouted, "_Tsk_, _tsk_, did you really think that I'd forget about his motive?"

"Well..." Hermione rubbed the back of her neck, "Now that I think about it, it's obvious that you wouldn't have forgotten it."

"I'm glad that you agree." Umbridge giggled, "Your honor, I would like to call my first witness to the stand!"

.

.

.

Within a few minutes, a skinny old man with balding hair and beady eyes stood at the witness bench.

"Witness, state your name and occupation." Umbridge said.

"Th' name's Tom, I'm the owner of the Dead-End Hotel." Tom said.

"I'd like you to testify about your hotel." Umbridge said.

"What does that have to do with the murder?" Hermione asked.

"His testimony will serve as a way to show an undeniable truth to the court." Umbridge covered her mouth with her hand, but Hermione could see the wicked grin that had formed on her face.

The Judge slammed his gavel. "Witness, please tell us everything about your hotel."

Listen up, I'm only going to say this once!

-Witness Testimony-

"Yeah, I'm the owner of the Downhill hotel, what's it to you?"

"I take great pride in my hotel, even if it isn't as 'fancy' as that idiot Gilderoy's hotel."

"Sure some unsavory types like to come to my hotel…."

"….But my hotel is the best there ever was, nothing else can compare!"

"I have strict rules for my employees, and they follow them to the letter, or else they're fired."

"I have strict rules for my visitors too…."

"I also have rules for my residents, if they don't follow them, then it's off to the curb with them!"

"And that's everything about my hotel, are you satisfied?"

.

.

.

"...So, what do you think about that testimony?" Remus asked Hermione.

"It's a bit vague," Hermione said, "If I had more information to work with, then maybe..."

"Well, if you want more information, you're going to have to drag it out of him." Remus said, "If you press him on the things that are a bit vague, then maybe he'll give some more information."

"Ms. Granger." Hermione looked at The Judge, "Are you prepared for your Cross-Examination?"

"Yes, Your honor." Hermione said. _'Hopefully his testimony can give me something to work with...'_

.

.

.

**Listen up, I'm only going to say this once! **

-Witness Testimony-

-Cross Examination-

"**Sure, some unsavory types like to come to my hotel…."**

"Hold it!" Hermione shouted, "What do you mean by 'unsavory types'?"

"I mean people like Lavender Brown and the defendant over there," Tom jabbed in Ron's direction, "They never follow the rules I set, they're a nuisance to my other residents since all they do is argue and fight, last month I caught that brat trying to apparate into my hotel."

"Why did the defendant do that?" Hermione asked.

"I didn't ask him," Tom said, "Because of that I had to put anti-apparition wards on my hotel, and I had to start locking the front door once nine PM rolls around."

"Why did you only lock the front door?" Hermione asked, "What if people got in through the back door?"

"Heh, the front door is the only way in or out of my hotel." Tom smirked, "Last month I had all my employees brick over the back doors to the hotel."

"Isn't that...going a bit too far?" Hermione asked.

"Hey Hermione," Remus said, "We should note down what Tom has just said, it might be useful."

"Anyway, no one can apparate in or out of my hotel," Tom continued , "If someone tried, they'd most likely get themselves splinched."

_Tom's statement added to the Court Record_

"Witness." Umbridge, "Explain to the court about the rules you enforce in your hotel."

"**I have strict rules for my employees, and they follow them to the letter, or else they're fired."**

"Hold it!" Hermione shouted, "Could you tell us about the rules you expect your employees to follow?"

"Sure," Tom said, "All of the employees who oversee room service must have their keys on them at all times,"

" I hold inspections every hour or so, just to make sure they don't attempt to steal or lose the keys." Tom said, " ...though it isn't like you can really lose one."

"What do you mean by that?" Hermione asked

"Whenever one of my employees get too far from their key, their key will reappear in their pocket whenever they need them." Tom explained, "Because I've enchanted the keys, they're impossible to steal or lose."

"We should probably look over those rules," Remus said, "It could be useful."

"Oh, here I brought some documents with me," Tom said as he handed a manila colored envelope to the Judge, "It details the basic rules I expect my employees to follow, and it also contains a log that shows who was on duty last night."

_Tom's rules added to the Court Record_

_Worker's log added to the Court Record_

"Anyway..."

"**I have strict rules for my visitors too…."**

"Hold it!" Hermione shouted, "What are the rules for the visitors?"

"The rules?" Tom asked, "Basically, they aren't allowed to stay in my building once 9 PM rolls around, they have to sign in whenever the enter or leave the building, if I find them then they're in for a world of hurt."

"'A world of hurt?'" Hermione asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"I used to be quite the boxer back in my prime," Tom said, "They forced me to retire, but I still train day in and day out."

"What does boxing have to do with anything?" Hermione asked.

"Well, I lock the front door to the hotel at nine, that way no one can get in or out." Tom said, "And if I spot an unlucky visitor... well let's just say that they help me stay in shape, heh heh heh..."

'_I feel sorry for anyone unlucky enough to get caught by him.' _Hermione thought to herself.

"Is that all?" Hermione asked.

"There's more to it than that," Tom said, "Here, I've written the rules that I expect visitors to follow, you can look it over."

_Tom's rules updated in the court record._

"Oh, and here's the sign-in sheet." Tom said, "The prosecutor said that she wanted to submit this to the court."

_Visitor's sign-in sheet submitted to the court record_

"Last night, the defendant came to my hotel," Tom continued, "He got into another argument with Brown, and this was one of the worst ones they had since Brown moved into the hotel."

"How was it worse than the argument from before?" Hermione.

"They ended up breaking nearly everything in Brown's room." Tom said, "I don't know what set them off this time, but whatever it was it must have been pretty bad."

"Mr. Tom," Umbridge suddenly spoke up, "Did the argument occur after the defendant arrived, or just before he left?"

"It happened just before he left." Tom said. "So, can I continue my testimony?"

"**I also have rules for my residents, if they don't follow them, then it's off to the curb with them!"**

"Hold it!" Hermione shouted, "What are the rules for the residents?"

"The rules?" Tom asked, "Basically, they aren't allowed to invite visitors after 9:00 PM, if I find that they've hidden someone in their rooms, then I kick them out."

"Is that all?" Hermione asked.

"There's more to it than that, here I've written the rules that I expect my residents to follow, you can look it over."

_Tom's rules updated in the court record._

.

.

.

"That's enough!" The judge shouted as he slammed his gavel, "I believe that further testimony from this witness is unnecessary."

"Now you see, don't you attorney?" Umbridge smirked, "The witness has provided evidence that shows that the defendant was in the building at the moment of the crime."

"Yes, but you still haven't provided a motive!" Hermione shouted, "All you've proven is that he was there at the time of the crime, that doesn't mean that he killed the victim!"

"Haven't you been paying attention?" Umbridge said, "During the months leading up to her death, the defendant and the victim got into frequent arguments."

"Well that-"

"In addition, their last argument was the most violent one yet." Umbridge smirked, "It's entirely possible that during their argument the defendant was so enraged, that he killed the victim without hesitation!"

"Agh!" Hermione took a step back in surprise. _'Oh...Oh no.'_

"But how do you know that he killed her?!" Hermione shouted, "Just because he got into an argument with her, it doesn't mean that he's a killer!"

Umbridge cackled, "I'm glad that you asked that, attorney." Umbridge turned to face the Judge, "Your Honor, I would like to call my decisive witness to the stand!"

"You had a decisive witness this entire time?" The judge asked, "Why didn't you have them testify earlier?"

"I need to establish that the defendant has no alibi, that he was at the scene of the crime, and that he had a motive for committing his crime." Umbridge said, "And with this final witness, I will prove without a shadow of a doubt that the defendant is guilty!"

"It looks like we're in a tight spot." Remus said as he stared at Umbridge, "Usually she isn't this thorough, my guess is that she got most of her information from Harry."

"Remus, what do we do now?" Hermione asked, "Umbridge has us cornered!"

"...In that case, we'll need to see if there are any inconsistencies in the witness's statement." Remus said, "If we can prove that the witness's testimony isn't reliable, we may be able to buy more time for our client."

.

.

.

Within a few minutes a man wearing a tattered, black coat walked towards the witness bench. In his right hand he held a large, black cane, which he used to make his way to the witness bench.

"Witness," Umbridge said, "State your name and occupation."

"My name is Peter Pettigrew," Pettigrew said, "Last week I was hired to work at the Dead-End Hotel, I mainly do room service."

"Witness, you claim to have seen the defendant murder the victim," Umbridge said, "I want you to tell the court everything you know, don't leave anything out."

"Okay," Pettigrew nodded, "I won't leave anything out of my testimony!"

_What I saw_

_-Witness Testimony-_

"It was around...8:50, when I heard the defendant and the victim arguing with each other."

"Usually, I wouldn't be so concerned about it, they tend to argue whenever they see each other."

"But this time...something was different."

"Ron sounded much more aggressive than he normally is."

"I was concerned so I went to their room..."

"That's when I saw Ron, he was holding the weapon he used to kill the victim."

"He threatened me, he said that if I told anyone what happened, he'd kill me."

"Then he apparated away..."

.

.

.

"You saw the weapon the defendant used to kill the victim?" The judge asked, "Why didn't you tell the Aurors?"

"Actually, I didn't get a good look at the weapon," Pettigrew said, "That's why I didn't tell the Aurors."

"Hmm..."

"As you can see Your Honor," Umbridge said, "The witness saw the moment of the crime, there is no doubt that the defendant is the killer."

"Objection!" Remus shouted.

"We haven't cross examined the witness yet," Remus said, "It's far too early to end the trial now."

"Hmph, can't you just accept defeat?" Umbridge said, "No matter how hard you try, you won't be able to gain the upper hand."

"Are you sure about that?" Remus smirked. "Because it's quite clear that there's a contradiction in your witness's testimony."

"A contradiction?" The Judge asked.

"If you let us cross-examine the witness, we'll be able to point out the contradiction." Remus said.

"Your honor, the defense is trying to stall for time." Umbridge said, "We should end the trial, there is nothing new to be gained from cross-examining the witness."

"I understand your opinion Ms. Umbridge; however, the defense has the right to request a cross-examination."

"Ugh..."

"Defense," The judge turned away from the fuming Umbridge to look at Hermione and Remus, "You may begin the cross-examination."

"Alright, it looks like we've got our chance to turn this around," Remus said, "I don't need to tell you where the contradiction is, all you need to do is present the evidence we have, just make sure that you're on the right statement."

"Okay." Hermione said. 'All I need to do is look at the statement that has the contradiction, and then present evidence...'

.

.

.

_What I saw_

_-Cross-examination-_

"**It was around...8:50, when I heard the defendant and the victim arguing with each other."**

"Hold it!" Hermione shouted. "Was it AM or PM?"

"Huh?" Pettigrew blinked in confusion.

"In your testimony you stated that it was around 8:50 when you heard the defendant and victim arguing with each other." Hermione said as she looked over the pages of the testimony log, "But you didn't mention whether it was 8:50 in the morning or 8:50 in the evening."

"Oh, sorry I guess I made a mistake." Pettigrew rubbed the back of his neck, "It was 8:50 in the evening, I'm sure that's when I saw Ron arguing with lavender."

"But...that doesn't make sense." Hermione said, "The hotel is closed off to visitors at 9:00 PM, why would the defendant waste time arguing when he should have left?"

"I don't know, that's just how Ron is." Pettigrew said. "Anyway..."

"**Usually, I wouldn't be so concerned about it, they tend to argue whenever they see each other."**

"Hold it!" Hermione shouted. "How do you know that?"

"Know what?" Pettigrew asked.

"It's true that the defendant and the victim frequently argued with each other," Hermione said, "The other residents and the staff must be sick of them by now."

"That's true." Pettigrew said.

"What I want to know is..." Hermione frowned, "How did you know about their arguments? And how did you know that they argue whenever they see each other?"

"Well, uh..."

"Isn't it obvious?" Umbridge said, "The witness works at the hotel, of course he'd know about their arguments!"

"Yes, that's exactly why I know about their arguments!" Pettigrew said. "Last week they were arguing as well, so when Ron came in to visit Lavender, I knew that they were going to argue over something trivial."

"But..." Pettigrew trailed off.

"But?" Hermione asked.

"**But this time...something was different."**

"Hold it!" Hermione shouted. "What was different about their argument?"

Umbridge shook her head, "Perhaps if you let the witness continue," Umbridge said, "You'd learn why the argument was so different."

"Yes, you've been interrupting my testimony," Pettigrew, "It's quite annoying."

"S-Sorry..." Hermione nervously rubbed the back of her neck.

"What are you apologizing for?" Remus asked, "You aren't doing anything wrong."

"Can I continue my testimony?" Pettigrew said, "I'd like to get this over with."

"**Ron sounded much more aggressive than he normally is."**

"Hold it!" Hermione shouted, "There's something I've been wanting to ask you, Mr. Pettigrew."

"What is it?" Pettigrew asked.

"During this entire testimony..." Hermione said, "You've been referring to the defendant as _Ron_."

"That's because I know Ron, I'm his father's friend," Pettigrew said, "I've known Ron ever since he was little."

"Why didn't you mention that earlier?" Hermione asked.

"You didn't ask until now," Pettigrew said, "If you had, I would have told you."

'_Really?'_ Hermione thought to herself. '_If I hadn't asked him, he wouldn't have even mentioned it?'_

"Because of that, I've seen Ron when he's angry," Pettigrew said, "But during his argument with Lavender...it was like he was a completely different person, that's why..."

"**I was concerned so I went to their room..."**

"Hold it!" Hermione shouted. "Just to clarify, the victim's room was on the third floor, correct?"

"Yes, her room is on the third floor." Pettigrew nodded.

"What were you doing up there?" Hermione asked, "Did you just happen to be on the third floor when the argument started?"

"Well, that's the floor I was assigned," Pettigrew said, "My shift starts at 8:00 PM, so while I was cleaning the halls, I heard Ron and Lavender arguing."

"But when I went into their room; I couldn't believe what I saw!" Pettigrew said.

"**That's when I saw Ron, he was holding the weapon he used to kill the victim."**

"Hold it!" Hermione shouted, "Do you remember what the weapon looked like?"

"Yes, I'll never forget when he stabbed Lavender with a butcher's knife." Pettigrew shivered, "It was the most horrible thing I've ever witnessed."

"He used a butcher's knife to kill the victim?" Hermione asked, "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, I'm sure." Pettigrew said.

The judge nodded, "Witness, please add this information to your testimony."

"**He threatened me, he said that if I told anyone what happened, he'd kill me."**

"Hold it!" Hermione shouted, "He threatened you?"

"His eyes were so cold," Pettigrew shivered, "He marched right up to me and took my wand, then he threatened to kill me if I told the Aurors about his crime."

"But...you're here in court now, telling us about what he's done." Hermione pointed out, "Why is that?"

"I wouldn't expect a muggleborn to understand," Umbridge said, "As purebloods, we have a duty to pursue the truth. The witness is using every ounce of strength he has in order to lock the defendant behind bars. The threat of death means nothing to us!"

'_If that's the case, then why didn't he come forward earlier?' _Hermione thought to herself.

"**Then he apparated away..."**

"Objection!" Hermione slammed the desk, "Mr. Pettigrew are you aware of the anti-apparation wards that your boss set up around his hotel?"

"Anti-apparition wards?" Pettigrew blinked in confusion, "The boss never told us about that."

"Last month, the defendant apparated into Mr. Tom's hotel," Hermione said as she looked over the testimony log, "He also bricked over the back entrance to the hotel, the only way to get in or out of the hotel is through the front door."

"There aren't any anti-apparation wards," Pettigrew said, "The boss was lying through his teeth."

"Is that true?" The judge turned to Umbridge. "Was your previous witness lying when he talked about the anti-apparation wards?"

"W-well, that is..." sweat poured down Umbridge's forehead as she fiddled with the collar of her suit, "Y-you see Your Honor..."

"It is a simple question Ms. Umbridge," The judge said, "Was your previous lying or was he telling the truth?"

"I-it's true," Umbridge said, "The witness requested to have anti-apparation wards placed around his hotel last month."

"Since there were wards placed around the hotel..." Hermione smirked, "My client couldn't have possibly apparated away from the crime scene!"

"Ugh..." Pettigrew bit the tip of his cane.

"Your Honor, this witness's testimony is clearly faulty!" Hermione shouted, "He's just lied to this court as well! We can't trust h-"

"Objection!" Umbridge shouted, "You've only managed to poke a hole into part of his testimony! The rest of his testimony is fine!"

"Objection!" Hermione shouted, "The witness claimed to have seen the defendant apparate from the crime scene, but as we've just established, it would have been impossible for the defendant to get away! The witness's testimony hinged on that detail, but since it's been disproven-"

"Objection!" Umbridge shouted, "Don't think you'll get your way that easily, have you forgotten that the witness saw the moment that the defendant stabbed the victim? Until you can disprove that, the witness's testimony still stands."

"Ugh..."

"Don't worry Hermione," Remus said, "If you've managed to find one hole in his testimony, then there might be another contradiction you can point out."

'_Right, this is the point where we'll finally be able to turn things around.' _Hermione thought, _'I've already found one contradiction, I'll just find the another one.'_


End file.
